November 5-7, 2019
MIT Media Lab — Building E14
75 Amherst Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
MITEI’s Annual Research Conference seeks to frame the key technology, policy, and economic drivers that are shaping today’s energy industry and its future. This year’s theme is Driving Deep Decarbonization, encompassing how we produce and consume energy, and looking deeply at the major systems in which we consume the most energy. The program presents roadmaps for meeting growing energy demand, decarbonizing the energy sector, and stabilizing the climate.
The first two days will focus on driving deep decarbonization across major systems: power, mobility, buildings, and industry. On the third day, we will hold the first combined meeting of the Low-Carbon Energy Centers, which will bring together the members of the different centers—including the new Mobility Systems Center—for shared plenaries that focus on systems modeling and technoeconomic analysis. The individual centers will hold all-day, morning, and afternoon sessions for members and invited guests.
Tuesday, November 5 | |
7:30-8:45 am | Breakfast and registration |
8:45-9:00 am | Welcome and opening remarks Robert C. Armstrong, Director, MIT Energy Initiative and Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT |
9:00-10:15 am | Engagement: A lever of decarbonization MIT issued A Plan for Action on Climate Change on October 21, 2015 and called for intensive engagement with industry and government. “Transforming society, as the moment demands, requires transforming our energy system. To move the great stone of the status quo, for MIT, direct engagement will be an indispensable lever,” the report states. This session looks at the state of engagement today among and within these three sectors in addressing climate change. Moderator: Robert C. Armstrong, Director, MIT Energy Initiative and Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT Speakers: Jake Jurewicz, Manager of Corporate Strategy, Exelon Melanie Kenderdine, Principal, Energy Futures Initiative; Former Director of the Office of Energy Policy, U.S. Department of Energy Yueh-Lin (Lynn) Loo, Director, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; Theodora D. ’78 and William H. Walton III ’74 Professor in Engineering; Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University Massimiliano Pieri, Clean-Tech Director, Eni Next & VP Cooperation with MIT Dennis Whyte, Director, Plasma Science and Fusion Center; |
10:15-10:45 am | Break |
10:45 am-12:00 pm | Energy at scale The Energy-at-Scale project of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change assesses the economic and environmental impacts of scaling up low carbon technologies. Now joined by MITEI, the Energy-at-Scale Center seeks to address the massive scaling requirements necessary for low carbon technologies to make a substantial contribution to future global energy needs. This session examines economic, technical, environmental, political, and public opinion barriers for deployment. Moderator: Sergey Paltsev, Deputy Director, Speakers: Barbara J. Burger, President, Chevron Technology Ventures Erin Smith, Research Assistant, Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, MIT Jacob J. Thiart, Manager of the Catalyst and Process Technology Division, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Eric A. Thumma, Director of New Business Offshore Wind, Avangrid Renewables |
12:00-1:30 pm | Lunch and viewing of posters |
1:30-2:45 pm | Hydrogen: This time is different This session will explore both the present state of technologies for low-carbon production, distribution, and utilization of hydrogen and the competitive position of hydrogen in power generation, storage, transportation, and industrial markets. We will examine the infrastructure, policy, and regulatory frameworks needed to enable hydrogen to participate in a low-carbon future. Moderator: Dharik Mallapragada, Research Scientist, Speakers: Traci Kraus, Director of Government Relations, Cummins Yang Shao-Horn, W.M. Keck Professor of Energy, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT C. Cem Tasan, Associate Professor, Department of |
2:45-3:15 pm | Break |
3:15-4:45 pm |
Integrating renewables into the grid: Exploring policy choices Moderator: Robert Stoner, Deputy Director, Speakers: Marija Ilić, Senior Staff, Energy Systems Group 73, MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Senior Research Scientist, Laboratory for Information & Decision Systems, MIT Valerie J. Karplus, Assistant Professor, Global Economics and Management, MIT Christopher Knittel, George P. Shultz Professor of Applied Economics, MIT Jessika Trancik, Associate Professor, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, MIT |
4:45-6:30 pm | Reception honoring MITEI’s Society of Energy Fellows and MIT postdocs Open to all conference participants Remarks from Antje Danielson, Education Director, MIT Energy Initiative |
Wednesday, November 6 | |
8:00-9:00 am | Breakfast |
9:00-10:15 am | Decarbonizing buildings: The long tail of the built environment Heating, cooling, and lighting our residential and commercial buildings requires large quantities of energy. Energy efficiency improvements in the U.S. and Europe have slowed emissions growth, but new-build projections across the world, especially in the developing world, are massive. This session examines the opportunities for lowering the carbon intensity of our existing building stock and novel approaches to new construction. Moderator: Christoph Reinhart, Director, Speakers: Anuradha Annaswamy, Founder and Director, Mark Goulthorpe, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, MIT Caitlin Mueller, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, MIT |
10:15-10:45 am | Break |
10:45 am-12:15 pm | MITEI General Seed Fund Project annual check-up Over the past 13 years, MITEI, with the support of our member companies and private donors, has made 177 seed fund awards totaling $24 million. Proposals across the entire spectrum of energy and related climate research are welcome, including science, technology, and social sciences. Awards have funded 189 principal investigators from 24 departments across MIT and submissions are encouraged from all disciplines. This session features projects from recent awardees. Moderator: Martha Broad, Executive Director, Speakers: Audun Botterud, Principal Research Scientist, Laboratory for Information & Decision Systems, MIT Fikile R. Brushett, Cecil and Ida Green Career Development Chair, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT Betar Gallant, ABS Career Development Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Zachary P. Smith, Joseph R. Mares Career Development Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT Karen Tapia-Ahumada, Research Scientist, |
12:15-2:00 pm | Lunch and viewing of posters |
2:00-3:15 pm | Decarbonizing industry: Cement, steel, ethylene and ammonia The industrial sector is the third largest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with 22.2% of the country’s total emissions as of 2017, according to the U.S. EPA. This session looks at the challenges and opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in several energy-intensive industries. Moderator: Robert C. Armstrong, Director, MIT Energy Initiative and Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT Speakers: Antoine Allanore, Associate Professor of Metallurgy, Department of Material Science and Engineering, MIT Katerina Ioannidou, Research Scientist, MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Karthish Manthiram, Warren K. Lewis Career Development Professor in Chemical Engineering, MIT Kripa K. Varanasi, Professor, Department of Kivanç Zaimler, Head of Energy Group, Sabanci Holding |
3:15-3:30 pm | Break |
3:30-4:45 pm | Mobility research at MIT Energy Initiative: A conversation about on-demand mobility services In cities around the world, we are seeing a proliferation of new mobility services that provide on-demand, door-to-door service without the need to own your own car. While these services are gaining popularity, there are still significant questions about how they are being used by people and the implications of their introduction on private car ownership, existing urban transportation systems, energy consumption and emissions, social equity and inclusion, and much more. Join us as we have a conversation with mobility researchers from engineering, planning, and economics about how people are adopting these services and their implications for car ownership, car use, and the movement of people in different urban contexts. Moderator: Randall Field, Executive Director, Mobility of the Future and Mobility Systems Center, MIT Energy Initiative Speakers: David Keith, Assistant Professor, System Dynamics, MIT Joanna Moody, Research Program Manager, Jinhua Zhao, Edward H. and Joyce Linde Associate Professor of Transportation and City Planning; Chair, |
4:45 pm | Closing Remarks |
* Thursday, November 7 | |
7:30-8:30 am | Breakfast |
8:30-9:30 am | Morning plenary session: Open SESAME: Understanding pathways Today’s energy systems are undergoing major transformations, which are leading towards greater convergence and inter-sectoral integration. Understanding the implications of these dynamics requires novel tools that provide deep systems-level insights. In this session, MIT researchers introduce a new tool, the Sustainable Energy System Analysis Modeling Environment (SESAME), that provides granular life-cycle analysis and enables deeper cross-system understanding. Moderator: Emre Gençer, Research Scientist, Speakers: Maryam Arbabzadeh, Postdoctoral Associate, Tapajyoti Ghosh, Postdoctoral Associate, Naga Srujana Goteti, Postdoctoral Associate, |
9:30-9:45 am | Travel Time for Workshops in E19 |
9:45 am-12:00 pm | Low-Carbon Energy Center morning workshops: (concurrent sessions)
11:00 am – 12:00 pm – This session is open to all conference participants. |
12:00-1:10 pm | Networking lunch | 1:10-1:30 pm | Travel Time for Workshops in E19 |
1:10-4:30 pm | Low-Carbon Energy Center afternoon workshops: (concurrent sessions) Please refer to the specific workshop for location, and timing.
1:30-4:30 pm Location: E15-283A Location: Multipurpose Room, Media Lab E14, 6th Floor | 4:30 pm | Conference adjourns |
* Thursday LCEC Workshops Eligibility: Select Low-Carbon Energy Center Workshops are for members only and invited guests. If you are interested in attending a workshop that is for members and invited guests only, please contact MITEI Member Services. Please note there is a morning plenary session that is open to all conference attendees. Additionally, there will be at least one LCEC Workshop in the morning and one in the afternoon that are open to all conference attendees.